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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.

From USAID Administrator, Ambassador Randall L. Tobias
On Deaths of USAID Staff in Nepal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2006
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. - It is with great sadness that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has learned today of the deaths of two valued members of our family: Ms. Margaret Alexander and Dr. Bijnan Acharya of our Mission in Nepal. Margaret and Bijnan were aboard a helicopter that disappeared on Saturday, September 23^rd. Today, searchers reached the crash site, about 400 kilometers east of Katmandu, and have confirmed there were no survivors.

The cause of the crash is unknown. Bad weather in the area is believed to have been a factor. U.S. Embassy officials in Katmandu are consulting with Nepalese civil aviation authorities to determine the cause of this crash.

The World Wildlife Federation-chartered helicopter was flying from the village of Ghunsa to a local airport in the Taplejung district when it lost radio contact and disappeared. Margaret and Bijnan had just participated in a ceremony marking the handing over of a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) conservation area to the local community. Also, among the twenty passengers and four crew members on board were Nepal Forest Minister Gopal Rai, Finnish Embassy Charge d'Affaires Pauli Mustonen, and Jennifer Headley, the Himalayas/ South Asia Program Coordinator in the WWF's United Kingdom office.

Margaret Alexander spent most of her career as a USAID lawyer, serving in Africa in the Regional Office for West Africa. She was Assistant General Counsel for the Europe and Eurasia Bureau in Washington before taking up her position as Deputy Mission Director in Nepal one year ago. This was her first tour in Asia. Last month, she celebrated 20 years of service to the United States Government. She was born in New York City and graduated from Bryn Mawr (A.B) and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She is survived by her sister Harriet in Iowa City.

Dr. Bijnan Acharya had worked with USAID Nepal for more than a decade. He was serving as an Environmental Officer, responsible for all environmental impact assessments in the country. He was also managing the USAID environmental programs with the NGO community. Among his many academic degrees, Bijnan received two undergraduate degrees from Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu and his PhD from Leiden University in The Netherlands. He is survived by his wife Sujata and his two children.

We mourn these two dedicated professionals who gave their lives in service to Nepal and the United States. Our thoughts are with their families and loved ones at this time of profound loss.

The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.

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